Monthly Archives: October 2018

ALVA, Okla. – Like any individual competitor, senior Riley Wakefield was quite pleased with his wins in the all-around and tie-down roping this past weekend at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rodeo. But his greatest accomplishment was being part of the men’s team title, which pushed the Rangers into the lead in the Central Plains  Continue Reading »

Gibson wins at his first BFO event; Rockin’ B & Magnifica claims inaugural Cattle Battle WICHITA, Kan. – A year ago, Cade Gibson was taking part in his first freestyle bullfighting school with educators Cody Webster, Dusty Tuckness and Nathan Harp, all Bullfighters Only pioneers. This past Saturday night, he competed in his first BFO  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Bryson Seachrist had never won the year-end championship in the Prairie Circuit, though he’s a multiple-time qualifier to the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. That changed Saturday night in a somewhat unlikely fashion. Seachrist had failed to place in the top four in either of the first two go-rounds, including  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Hardy Braden knew he had no chance to win the year-end saddle bronc riding title in the Prairie Circuit. His only chance to advance to the National Circuit Finals Rodeo was to win the average championship this weekend at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo at the Stephens County Arena  Continue Reading »

The first champions of the 2018 Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo were crowned Friday morning at Stephens County Arena in Duncan, Okla. Kelton McMillen of Paden, Okla., won the steer roping average championship by roping three steers in a cumulative time of 51.8 seconds. Four-time world champion Rocky Patterson of Pratt, Kan., won  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Steer wrestling is nothing new to Blake Mindemann. He grew up in a bulldogging family and took to it in high school in the early 2000s. Now the 33-year-old cowboy who grew up in nearby Apache, Okla., is heading to the National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his 14-year career.  Continue Reading »

Bullfighters Only brings a showcase of danger, excitement at Hartman Arena WICHITA, Kan. – Bullfighters Only will invade central Kansas on Saturday, as the world’s top freestyle bullfighters compete in the BFO Wichita Invitational at Park City’s Hartman Arena. As has been the case the last two years, the race for the world championship is  Continue Reading »

DALLAS – When bareback rider J.R. Vezain was paralyzed, the reality of rodeo injuries emerged again on Sept. 22, 2018. Vezain suffered a broken back that required surgery and has left him paralyzed from the waist down at this point. He is undergoing rehabilitation in Houston and will continue that beyond his time in southeast  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – The deep red dirt that filled the arena at the Oklahoma State University rodeo this past weekend in Stillwater just got darker and thicker as the weekend wore on. “It was bad,” said Bo Yaussi, a sophomore all-around cowboy at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from Udall, Kan. “The first performance was great.  Continue Reading »

CLAREMORE, Okla. – After viewing it for the first time, organizer David Petty knew he wanted to make Claremore’s Extreme Roughstock a better experience for everyone. That’s the plan for this year’s event, which is presented by the Kubota Center of Oklahoma, set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Claremore Expo Center. This  Continue Reading »

BELLVILLE, Texas – Every gambler knows that once the dice go into the air, the numbers might not roll their way. That was the case for bareback rider Winn Ratliff and bull rider J.T. Moore, both of whom scored qualified rides on their first trips out of the chute Saturday night at the Austin County  Continue Reading »

CLAREMORE, Okla. – The inaugural Claremore’s Extreme Roughstock was a homecoming of sorts for several of the 2017 contestants, but it was more than that for two. Kade Alberty, a bull rider who grew up in Claremore, and Hardy Braden, a saddle bronc rider from nearby Welch, Okla., walked away from last year’s event with  Continue Reading »

BELLVILLE, Texas – Wheeler is a town of 1,600 people in the Texas Panhandle. It’s dry and rugged, and it’s home to many cowboys. Tim Murphy has lived there for three months, and that’s because he wanted to compete in rodeo for a living. On Friday night during the second performance of the Austin County  Continue Reading »

BELLVILLE, Texas – For 27 years, Martin Lucero has been one of the best heelers in team roping. He’s qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 16 times in his career. But at age 50, he’s contemplating his next step in the sport. “I’m getting older now, and I’m not sure I’m going to run  Continue Reading »

CLAREMORE, Okla. – Haley Ganzel was just 4 years old when she decided on her career. She didn’t really know it at the time, but the love affair with trick riding blossomed quickly as she watched her uncle, Shawn Brackett, practice. So, she got the right training. At age 5, she worked her first rodeo.  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Through much of their careers, Nathan Harp and Wacey Munsell have been considered two of the best in their field. Their business is rodeo, and they are two of the greatest athletes in the game. As bullfighters, they use their bodies, athleticism and any other means necessary to keep everyone in the  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Landon McClaugherty has been one of the top all-around cowboys in rodeo for a long time, and he approaches the game the best way possible. He focuses on one event at a time, even if he’s making multiple runs in a single day. That came in quite handy Saturday night during the  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – For Bill Tutor, the pressure of competition never really leaves. He’s just fine with that. Five days ago, he wrapped up the 2018 regular season by earning nearly $120,000 through Sept. 30. He’s No. 5 in the bareback riding world standings and is headed to his second straight Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Along the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, lies the coastal city of Townsville. It’s a long way from Hempstead, but the Waller County Fair and Rodeo is just where Kodie Jang wanted to be on opening night of the rodeo. On Thursday night, the Australian steer wrestler tossed his steer to the  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – There are many things to describe Greg Simas. He’s a husband and father. He’s a Marine. He’s a rodeo announcer It’s the latter that plays quite well in this community every October. For the third straight year, Simas will be the voice of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set  Continue Reading »

BELLVILLE, Texas – They’re small, but they’re mighty. The Austin County Fair’s rodeo committee consists of just 14 members, but they care about one thing: They want Bellville’s rodeo to be one of the very best in southeast Texas every year. The annual rodeo – set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11-Saturday, Oct. 13, at  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Even before he made his decision on what university to attend, Devin Olson knew he wanted to be a steer wrestler. He was watching The American semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, a year and a half ago and met Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo coach Stockton Graves. That meeting led the Taylors  Continue Reading »